ArgoCD Kustomize Example: Deploying Applications with Ease

ArgoCD, a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool, has gained popularity for its ability to automate application deployments using Kubernetes. When combined with Kustomize, an open-source customization framework for Kubernetes manifests, it becomes a powerful duo for managing Kubernetes applications with ease and efficiency. In this article, we'll explore a practical example of using ArgoCD with Kustomize to deploy applications seamlessly.

Setting Up ArgoCD:

Before diving into the Kustomize example, let's set up ArgoCD. Assuming you have ArgoCD installed in your Kubernetes cluster, use the following command to port-forward the ArgoCD server:

kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443

Now, access the ArgoCD web interface by navigating to http://localhost:8080 in your web browser. Login with the default username "admin" and the password retrieved using:

kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath="{.data.password}" | base64 -d

Creating a Git Repository for Your Application:

To use ArgoCD effectively, your application manifests need to be versioned in a Git repository. Create a Git repository and push your application manifests into it. Ensure that your repository structure includes the "kustomization.yaml" file, which will define how Kustomize should customize your base Kubernetes manifests.

Kustomize Configuration:

Let's assume you have a simple Kubernetes deployment YAML file for your application. Create a "kustomization.yaml" file in the same directory with the following content:

apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
- deployment.yaml

namespace: mynamespace

commonLabels:
  app: myapp

This example instructs Kustomize to apply the specified customization to the base manifest (deployment.yaml) and deploy the application to the "mynamespace" namespace with additional labels.

Deploying with ArgoCD:

Now that your application is configured with Kustomize, let's deploy it using ArgoCD. In the ArgoCD web interface:

1. Click on "New App" and fill in the necessary details (e.g., Application Name, Project, Repository URL).
2. In the "Path" field, specify the directory containing your application manifests.
3. Choose the appropriate sync policy, auto-sync, and other settings according to your requirements.
4. Click "Create" to initiate the deployment.

ArgoCD will automatically sync with your Git repository and deploy the application to the specified Kubernetes cluster using the configurations defined in Kustomize.

More Examples:

For more advanced scenarios, you can explore additional features of Kustomize, such as overlays, variables, and patches. Customize your Kustomization.yaml file to suit your application's requirements and scale seamlessly.

Experiment with different configurations, and observe how ArgoCD efficiently manages the deployments, ensuring that your applications are always in the desired state.

ArgoCD combined with Kustomize provides a robust solution for deploying applications in a GitOps fashion. The declarative nature of ArgoCD and the flexible customization capabilities of Kustomize empower DevOps teams to manage Kubernetes applications with ease, consistency, and scalability.